After Zamboanga shooting, President Marcos says schools must become 'safest places' in PH

MANILA — A student live-streamed himself shooting and killing another student inside a classroom in the southern Philippines on Tuesday morning before taking his own life, marking the country’s second fatal school attack in less than two months.  

The attack occurred at the Junior High School (JHS) campus of Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) in Zamboanga City. 

According to preliminary police reports, a Grade 9 student brought a .40-caliber pistol and a rifle onto campus. Authorities said the gunman live-streamed the shooting via social media using a body-worn camera.  

The gunman entered a classroom on the fourth floor and opened fire, killing a male Grade 10 student and injuring two others. 

He then moved to the fifth floor where he died by suicide.  Social media footage verified by news agencies showed students running out of the five-story building as gunshots echoed in the background. 

Several students were treated for minor injuries sustained during the panic to escape.  

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and establish stricter security protocols.  

“Our schools are where we entrust our children to learn, to grow, and to dream about the lives ahead of them,” Marcos said in a statement. 

“They must also be among the safest places in our country.”

A senior official confirmed that the .40-caliber handgun used in the attack was an official service weapon issued to the shooter’s father, a Bureau of Customs officer who has since been relieved of his post pending investigation. 

The second firearm recovered from the scene was a licensed personal firearm also registered to the father.  

Following the tragedy, the Department of Education (DepEd), led by Secretary Sonny Angara, appealed to news outlets, content creators, and the public to stop sharing or amplifying graphic video clips of the shooting.  

“Let us choose compassion over clicks. Our priority must be the safety, dignity, and healing of the affected school community,” DepEd said in an official statement, noting that re-sharing raw footage deepens trauma for grieving families and witnesses.

DepEd confirmed it is coordinating with mental health partners to provide psychological first aid and trauma support to students, faculty, and affected families. 

Classes at the university were immediately suspended following the incident.  

While the Philippines maintains strict gun licensing laws requiring background checks and psychological evaluations, illicit firearms remain prevalent across the region. 

The Zamboanga shooting follows a June campus attack in Tacloban City, central Philippines, where two students opened fire, leaving three dead and roughly 20 injured.  

-Paraluman News with Reuters and Philippine News Agency